A sawhorse is a useful tool for framers, carpenters, and many other trades, as well as for hobbyists, homeowners and gardeners. The sawhorse provides a simple yet effective working surface in the field and is particularly useful in pairs, although larger numbers are sometimes required. Function and ergonomics suggest that a sawhorse be approximately 30 inches tall, 30 inches long and 15 inches wide at its base. These factors combine to make sawhorses fairly bulky tools to transport or store.
Three main strategies have arisen to compensate for this bulkiness. Some people construct simple, disposable sawhorses at the job-site and abandon them when the job is finished. Others prefer sawhorses that are stackable and therefore somewhat easier to store and transport. Finally, others choose sawhorses that can be quickly disassembled or "knocked down" into their flat component parts. It is this last solution to which the present invention is directed.
Knockdown sawhorses are known to the art. Usually made of plywood or other sheet stock, they rely on simple dado joints and notches to attach legs to a horizontal beam (or "saddle"). When disassembled, most of these sawhorses become three or four independent flat parts which take up less space for storage or transportation than the assembled whole. However, a problem exists in that nothing holds the component parts together. Parts may go missing, resulting in frustration and work stoppages. Furthermore, a user carrying the parts to a job-site will have his hands full of loose parts slipping and sliding.
Two patents partially address this problem by providing components that can be assembled in a first configuration to form a functioning sawhorse and in a second, configuration to form a more compact and easily transportable package.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,051 issued on May 8, 1990 to Gerald E. Newville for a, "Collapsible Sawhorse," describes a sawhorse made up of three plywood parts: a saddle and two legs. The saddle is shaped as an elongated T, the crossbar providing a work surface and defining two parallel inverted-U-shaped channels, one against either side of the T-stem. When disassembled and packed for storage, the saddle is inverted and each leg is placed against one side of the saddle T-stem and inserted into one of the channel, friction retaining it snugly within. A handle cut in the saddle T-stem provides a means for carrying the device.
The major problem with this device is that the leg-retaining channels are subject to loosening over time as the sawhorse becomes worn from use. It is not unusual for the saddle of a sawhorse to become quite deeply scored by cutting operations. These cuts will weaken the channels and, where the saddle is not constructed as one integral whole, may even separate the saddle parts. Similarly, the screws or nails used to hold a multi-part saddle together are liable to be struck by a tool such as a saw, thereby damaging both saddle and tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,829 issued on Nov. 2, 1993 to Fred Weeks for a, "Sawhorse," discloses an alternative solution. The Weeks device comprises a saddle and two A-frame leg assemblies. The saddle is vertically grooved on both sides at each end to receive the leg assemblies and each leg assembly is notched at its apex to receive the saddle. A nut and bolt on each leg assembly allows the notch to be tightened, thereby gripping the saddle. Cross-bracing extends from the centroid of each leg assembly to the middle of the saddle for further stability.
To pack the sawhorse for storage, the two leg assemblies are placed parallel to each other, broad surface to broad surface, and the saddle is sandwiched between them, parallel to one of the legs. The bolt used for tensioning the cross-bracing is then passed through the centroids of both leg assemblies and tightened, holding all parts tightly together by friction. A latch mechanism acts as a physical barrier to prevent the saddle from falling out.
The main problem with the Weeks sawhorse is that it has too many parts. Machined bolts and nuts plus various hinge and latch mechanisms would make this product expensive. Some small parts might become loose and get lost resulting in frustration and lost productivity. The device is also too complicated to be quickly assembled and disassembled.